Yoga is the Playground for Life

I’ve said in many classes that yoga is a practice or “the playground for life”. It’s where we get to try things out, practice them over and over, then use the skills in our everyday life. I do believe this to be true. And I got to witness it in myself on a recent trip for work.

I have always hated flying. From my corporate days when I spent much of my life on planes and in hotels. I am a homebody. So, all that travel did not agree with me. I hated everything about it – starting with packing, security checks, being crammed in a metal tube in the sky (all those germs!) to all the hundreds of delayed flights I dealt with over the years.

Yoga has consumed my life for the past year. Buying the studio, running the business, getting my teacher certification, and finally starting to teach. Because yoga has consumed my life, I guess it’s no wonder that it impacted my trip from the very beginning.

First, my anxiety level was a 1-2 rather than the 6-7 it always has been in the past. When I was packing, I chose to go minimalist. I usually pack way more than I actually need. Part of my strategy was to lessen the weight I’d be hauling around on my back as I ran from one side of the Atlanta airport to the other. But simply taking only what I really needed just felt good.

When I arrived at the security gate, I was the only person there (gotta love the Lexington airport). So, I wasn’t rushed to empty all of my belongings into plastic totes. As I entered the screening station (barefooted – yuck) and was told to step on the feet decals, I lifted and spread my toes. I grounded my feet and raised my arms and hands overhead. Well, this felt kind of natural, I thought. How many times have I done this in the comfort of the studio? The most amazing thing was happening….. I was paying attention. I was actually flowing through each moment with awareness rather than fighting and resisting the whole ordeal – which is what I had done for years.

Once I got to the gate, I’m pretty sure I was the only one reading an old fashion magazine. Like everywhere else in society today, almost every single person was sitting with their head hung forward, pecking away on their smart (stupid) phones. Families, friends…. few were actually speaking to one another. I stopped reading and just paid attention to what was going on around me. It made me sad that no one was talking. (But that’s another topic) The plane loaded. We left on time. And THAT is a big deal to me……

There was a time about 10 years ago that my co-workers didn’t want to fly with me. I’m pretty sure they started purposefully booking different flights because I had a black cloud over my head when it came to flying. I am not exaggerating when I say that every single flight I flew was delayed (by hours, not minutes) or flat-out cancelled. I now believe that I caused all those delayed flights with my negative attitude. I didn’t just verbally predict the flight would be a disaster – I felt it with every cell of my body. I manifested those disastrous travel experiences. (I apologize to all those people who flew with me over that decade). How do I know this to be true? Well, I don’t think the airlines have improved all that much. But my attitude has. I no longer anticipate the worst. And instead of the dread I used to feel about all those wasted hours in airports and on planes, I now appreciate the uninterrupted downtime when I’m not distracted by a million other things.

So, how does all of this relate to my yoga practice? First, I really do find myself being more present and finding joy (if not joy – at least contentment) in each moment. Second, I find I’m more patient. I can come back to my breath when I need a break from the chaos or when I’m simply experiencing discomfort (like when the plane is really cooolllddd). But I’m enjoying a physical benefit too. After getting up from a cramped seat or walking for 8 hours on a concrete trade show floor, I don’t ache and hurt like I used to.

So, if you ever wonder if your yoga classes are brining any real benefit, start to pay attention. Take notice. Be awake. Yoga has this crazy way of changing us. Bringing us peace. But if we aren’t paying attention, we’ll never notice the changes and therefore won’t be grateful for the small (and big) things. In every single class we practice mindfulness. We practice patience in a Yin class. We practice ways to be with whatever arises during that hour. Yoga is the playground. And life is where we get to put all that good practice to use.

Mission

The mission of Body Mind and Sol is to provide the Berea community a high quality, professional yoga practice with classes designed to meet the various needs of individuals and ultimately help people find and build inner strength and peace. In addition to yoga, we offer classes in various dance styles for adults and teens.

Who We Are

Body Mind & Sol grew from the passion and commitment of Sarah Downs, the previous owner of Broadway Bodywork. Over the course of 4 years, her dedication, commitment and passion developed a strong community where people felt comfortable to come together to learn and grow.

Firmly believing that everything happens for a reason, the stars were aligned for me to take over the business as Sarah moved on to the next chapter of her life. Wanting to continue with the same passion and commitment as Sarah, a few changes were made. First, we moved. Since we were no longer on Broadway, a new name was going to be needed.

The inspiration for the name Body Mind and Sol sprung from the fact that I wanted something that tied together everything the studio offered. The word yoga is a Sanskrit word with an English translation of Union. While what we do certainly moves and engages the physical body, our instructors remind us that our mind is not a separate entity from our body. And we realize this when we pay attention to the present moment. But the “union” of the body and mind is not the end of the story. The last element, Sol, is the Spanish word for Sun. This final element links each of us to the world around us. Because just like our body and mind are integrally connected, so are each of us integrally connected to each other and to all things around us.